Apple Cinnamon Galette

Here’s to Fall baking at its best! This Apple Cinnamon Galette, or a “Tarte Rustique” as we call it in France, holds all the deliciousness of an apple pie but with half the work. This rustic-looking fruit tart features a flaky all-butter crust, folded in a free form manner over crisp apples. It is an uncomplicated Fall dessert that doesn’t require much time to assemble nor does it require a pie dish. It’s laid-back, comforting and always a crowd pleaser. 

The ideal crust for a Galette: a “Pâte Brisée”.

For making a Galette, I find a Pâte Brisée is the best candidate. A “Pâte Brisée” is the French version of a standard pie crust, made with a generous amount of butter. In comparison to a “Pâte Sucrée” (traditionally used for a French Lemon Tart) or a “Pâte Sablée” (traditionally used for a French Frangipane Apricot Tart), a Pâte Brisée is made with only flour, butter and water – no sugar and no eggs. This means it can be used for both sweet and savory pies, tarts or galettes. 

Because the flour and butter are mixed with water (water encouraging the gluten development in the flour), a “Pâte Brisée is sturdier and less sandy – which is what you want to shape galettes easily, and avoid having the edges crumble when you fold them over the fruits. That said, it is essential not to overmix the dough (stop mixing when it just comes together) or your crust will end up too tough once baked. 

To sum it all up, I love to use a Pâte Brisée for making galettes, as it is deliciously buttery yet easy to work with and very forgiving. The crust is quickly chilled for 20 minutes (for the butter to chill again) and then rolled out and filled with fresh fruits, before the edges are folded over in a free form manner.

Choose the right apples

Just like choosing the right crust, you have to choose the right apples. And the rule for an apple galette is the same as for a classic apple pie: choose baking apples. Jonagold, Braeburn, Mutsu, Golden Delicious, Northern Spy or Granny Smith are all great varieties to use here. These aren’t as juicy once baked, and won’t turn mushy nor make the crust underneath become soggy. 

I personally love to use Granny Smith for a galette. They are crisp, tart, tangy and not too sweet. They also have a firm flesh that holds its shape when baking, which is perfect to slice the apples very thin and create a pretty pattern. 

More Cooking tips: 

• It is essential to use cold butter and ice cold water to make the dough. Cold butter -not room temperature- will distribute into the flour without softening. And ice-cold water will bind the ingredients together without softening the butter. This ensures little bits of butter are still present in the dough once rolled out, which makes for a most tender baked Pâte Brisée. 
• The Pâte Brisée needs to be chilled at least 20 minutes before being rolled out. If the dough is too cold and firm when trying to roll it out, let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes so it warms ever so slightly to become easier to roll out. If the edges of the dough crack a bit when you fold them over the fruit, do not fret. You can simply wet your fingers lightly under lukewarm water and “rub” the cracks to bind the dough back together. 
• Do not overfill the galette with apples. When laying the apple slices flat onto the crust, make sure you leave a 2-inch border all around, so you can easily fold the edges over the apples later. Likewise, place the apple slices flat in one single even layer, so they bake evenly too. If there is too much apple filling, your galette may not bake properly and the filling may burst to the side. 

I hope you enjoy this Apple Cinnamon Galette as much as I do! Serve it warm or cooled down, with a big dollop of crème fraiche on top (in true French fashion) or a big scoop of vanilla ice-cream. 

You may also like:

• Peach & Blueberry Galette 
• Classic French Apple Cake 
• Classic French Tarte Tatin 
• Skillet Caramelized Apple Cake from Brittany
• Classic French Tarte au Citron

Apple Cinnamon Galette

Print Recipe

Serves: 8 people Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 50 Minutes 50 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.8/5

( 5 voted )

Ingredients

For the Pâte Brisée :
1 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (170g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
¼ cup to 1/3 cup (50ml to 78ml) ice water

Filling base:
4 tbsp (24g) almond flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Filling:
4 medium baking apples
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp (15ml) milk, for brushing

Optional: 2 tbsp Apricot jam

Instructions

Make sure you read my cooking tips (above) before you start.

Step 1 – Prepare the Pâte Brisée. Mix the flour, salt and butter with your fingers or pulse in a food processor, until you get a crumbly consistency and pea-size bits of butter are still visible. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, and mix until the dough just comes together into a rough ball; do not over-mix or your crust will end up tough. Add a few more splashes of water if you feel the dough is too crumbly - but try to keep the water to a minimum. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and chill for about 20 minutes.

Step 2 – Take the dough out of the fridge. Transfer it onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out to circle of 16-inch (40cm) in diameter. Drape the dough over your rolling pin and transfer it to the parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Step 3 – In a small bowl, combine the almond flour with the cinnamon. 

Pre-heat the oven to 375F (190C) with a rack in the middle. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 4 – Spread the almond flour mix onto the dough, leaving a 2-inch (5cm) border around the edge. This mix will absorb the juice of the fruits when baking and prevent the crust from getting soggy. 

Step 5– Peel and core the apples. Cut them in half or quarters, and slice them into very thin slices. Press each half slightly to fan out the slices. Gently slide the knife under the slices, lift them up and place them in the middle of the crust. I like to start by placing all the halves, and then use the quarters to fill in gaps.

Step 6 –Sprinkle the apples with the sugar and cinnamon. Fold the edges of the dough up over the fruits to create a 1 ½ inch (3.8cm) border. Whisk egg yolk and milk in a small bowl and brush this egg wash onto the folded border.

Bake for about 50min to 1hr, or until the crust is golden.

Optional: When the galette is still warm, brush some apricot jam on the apples for a shiny finish.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench  and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench.  This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Privacy Policy & Disclosure page for more details. The Pâte Brisée recipe is based on Jacques Pépin’s Plum Galette recipe